Ironing apparatus



Oct. 3, 1967 v G. c. WATSON 3,344,542

IRONING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 30, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 GERTRUDE C 14 475041 INVENTOR.

AZ'TOEMFY Oct. 3, 1967 G. c. WATSON 3,344,542

I IRONING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 30, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet z y 54/ GERTRUDE C. l l A r s ay y' :v "v

IITTOZ/Vfy United .States Patent M 3,344,542 IRONING APPARATUS Gertrude C. Watson, 5721 Lancaster, Houston, Tex. 77017 Filed Aug. 30, 1965, Ser. No. 483,573 2 Claims. (Cl. 38-401) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Ironing apparatus of the heated roller type having a base upon which a driven, heated roller is rotatably mounted, and a separate manually held roller provided with means for illuminating the work.

This invention relates to ironing apparatus and more particularly to equipment which is adapted for use as an adjunct in connection with the sewing of seams under conditions in which it is desirable to iron the fabric as the seams are sewn.

The invention finds particular utility for use with sewing machines for the ironing of seams in fabric as rapidly as the seams are sewn, but is capable of wide use for other ironing operations.

The invention has for an important object the provision of ironing apparatus which is easily portable, which is self supporting and adapted to be placed on a sewing machine close to the location where the seams are sewed, and which is easily operated.

Another object of the invention is to provide ironing equipment embodying a rotatably supported backing roller over which fabric to be ironed may be passed in contact therewith, means for rotating the backing roller, and a manually operable, heated roller which is adapted to be held in rolling contact with the fabric to press the fabric against the backing roller to iron the fabric.

The invention also contemplates the provision of ironing apparatus of the kind mentioned having a heavily weighted base upon which the backing roller is mounted to hold the backingroller firmly in an upright position and prevent the same from shifting about when in use.

The above and other important advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, constituting a specification of the same, when considered in conjunction with the annexed drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view, partly broken away, and partly in cross-section, illustrating a preferred embodiment of the ironing apparatus of the invention and showing the manner in which the same is used for the ironing of a scam in fabric;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary, cross-sectional view, on an enlarged scale, showing details of structure of the backing roller of the equipment with the fabric in position thereon and the pressure roller in contact with the fabric to perform an ironing operation thereon;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective View, on a somewhat enlarged scale showing the manually operable pressure roller of theinvention;

FIGURE 4 is a front elevational view of the pressure roller of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 5 is a vertical, central, cross-sectional view of the pressure roller, as shown in FIGURE 4, showing details of the internal structure of the same.

Referring now to the drawings in greater detail the ironing apparatus of the invention comprises two separate units, one of which constitutes a backing roller assembly generally designated 10, and its supporting and operating mechanism, and the other being a manually operable, heated, pressure roller assembly generally designated 12.

3,344,542 Patented Oct. 3, 1967 ICE The backing roller assembly includes a hollow, heavily weighted base or casing 14 having a flat bottom portion 16, adapting the same to be positioned on a supporting surface, such as the top of a sewing machine or the like, and spaced side wall portions 18, 18 extending upwardly from the bottom 16 and between which the backing roller 20 is rotatably mounted. The roller 20 may be mounted upon a shaft 22 provided with suitable bearings attached to the side walls 18 to support the roller with a portion thereof extending above the casing for engagement with the fabric to be ironed.

The shaft 22 has a sprocket 24 mounted thereon, within the casing, for rotation with the shaft, and about which a drive chain 26 passes, which chain also passes about a driving sprocket 28 mounted on the shaft 30 of an electric motor 32 positioned in the casing and by which the backing roller is rotated. The motor 32 may be connected to any convenient source of electric current, as by means of the usual electric cable 34, under the control of any desired switching mechanism, not shown, by which the operation of the motor may be controlled.

The back-up or backing roller 20 may be of one-piece construction, or, as shown in FIGURE 2, the roller preferably has a central circular portion 36, to which an outer ring shaped portion or pad 38 may be secured in any suitable manner. The portion 38 is preferably formed of resilient material, such as foam plastic molded upon or adhered to the portion 38 to form a yieldable pad for the fabric to be ironed. The back-up roller has an external, cylindrical ironing face 40.

The pressure roller assembly comprises a hollow, curved handle 42, having an enlarged front end portion from which parallel, spaced apart, side arms 44, 44 extend downwardly, which arms are perforated to receive the central shaft 46 of the hollow pressure roller 48, rotatably mounted on the handle. The roller 48 may be provided with suitable bearings, such as the ball bearings 50, 50 shown in FIGURE 5, for the shaft 46.

Suit-able heating means is provided for the roller 48, which may include an internal ring 52 of suitable insulating material for supporting electrical heating coils 54, which are adapted to be connected to a source of electrical current in any usual manner, not shown, whereby the roller 48 may be heated. The pressure roller is shaped to provide an external, cylindrical pressure surface 56 for contact with the fabric to be pressed, which is supported on the back-up roller 20 to be pressed between the back-up surface 40 and the pressure surface 56 during the ironing of the fabric.

The handle 42 may be provided with a guard plate portion 58 positioned to shield the hand of the user against the heat of the pressure roller when in use.

The coils 54 may be supplied with electric current from any desired source, as by means of an electric cable 60 under the control of a switch 62 of the usual type.

Within the forward end of the hollow handle 42, suitable means, such as the electric lamps 64, 64 may be mounted in position to illuminate the fabric being ironed, and which lamps are suitably connected to the current source of the pressure roller.

It will be apparent that the back-up roller forms a pad upon which the fabric to be ironed may be placed, and the pressure roller forms an iron which may be used to apply pressure and heat to the fabric to iron the same.

In making use of the ironing apparatus of the invention, constructed as described above, the back-up roller assembly is positioned on the sewing machine at a location to permit the fabric F in which the seam S is being sewed to be passed over the pressure roller 20 in contact with the back-up surface 40, as the seam is being sewed. The manually operated pressure roller 48 in a heated con- 3 dition is then held against the fabric with the fabric between the back-up surface 40 and pressure surface 56 while the roller 20 is rotated by motor 32. The seam S of the fabric F is thus ironed between the back-up and pressure rollers as the seam is sewed.

The equipment may, of course, be positioned at any desired location, and used for other purposes than the ironing of seams.

It will thus be seen that the invention provides ironing apparatus which is of simple design and rugged construction, which is easily carried about and which is adapted to be placed at any desired location for convenient use.

The invention is disclosed herein in connection with a certain specific construction of the back-up and pressure assemblages, which it will be understood are intended by way of illustration only, the assemblages being capable of various modifications within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus clearly shown and described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. Ironing apparatus comprising a rotatably mounted fabric supporting roller having an external circumferential portion formed of yieldable material positioned for engagement with one surface of an article of fabric to be ironed to yieldingly support the fabric, means for rotating said roller, an ironing roller having an external cylindrical face, handle means upon which said ironing roller is rotatably mounted for holding the ironing roller with said cylindrical face in rolling contact with the other surface of the article to iron the article during rotation of the 4 supporting roller, means for heating the ironing roller and illuminating means on said handle means positioned to illuminate the article during ironing of the same.

2. In ironing apparatus the combination with a hollow base, a supporting roller rotatably mounted on the base and having an exposed cylindrical face positioned for supporting engagement with one surface of an article of of fabric to be ironed to support the fabric, motor means in said base and means forming a driving connection between said motor means and said supporting roller to rotate the roller, of a hollow handle, a hollow ironing roller, rotatably mounted on the handle and having an exposed cylindrical face positioned to be engaged with the other surface of said article to iron the fabric between the rollers while said supporting roller is rotating, an electric heating element in said ironing roller to heat the same, and illuminating means in the handle positioned to illuminate the fabric during the ironing of the same.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,146,471 2/1939 Hobert 38-101 X 2,314,114 3/1943 White 38-52 2,865,118 12/ 1958 Stewart 38-52 FOREIGN PATENTS 349,457 5/1931 Great Britain.

PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner. 

1. IRONING APPARATUS COMPRISING A ROTATABLY MOUNTED FABRIC SUPPORTING ROLLER HAVING AN EXTERNAL CIRCUMFERENTIAL PORTION FORMED OF YIELDABLE MATERIAL POSITIONED FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH ONE SURFACE OF AN ARTICLE OF FABRIC TO BE IRONED TO YIELDABLY SUPPORT THE FABRIC, MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID ROLLER, AN IRONING ROLLER HAVING AN EXTERNAL CYLINDRICAL FACE, HANDLE MEANS UPON WHICH SAID IRONING ROLLER IS ROTATABLY MOUNTED FOR HOLDING THE IRONING ROLLER WITH SAID CYLINDRICAL FACE IN ROLLING CONTACT WITH THE OTHER SURFACE OF THE ARTICLE TO IRON THE ARTICLE DURING ROTATION OF THE SUPPORTING ROLLER, MEANS FOR HEATING THE IRONING ROLLER AND ILLUMINATING MEANS ON SAID HANDLE MEANS POSITIONED TO ILLUMINATE THE ARTICLE DURING IRONING OF THE SAME. 